Method and apparatus for packaging



Jan. 17, 1967 H. LERNER 3,293,156

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING Filed Jan. 7, 1964 I NV E NTOR.

Hershey Lerner BY m; M

United States Patent 3,298,156 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING Hershey Lerner, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignor to Automated Packaging Corporation, Hudson, Ohio Filed Jan. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 336,251 12 Claims. (Cl. 53-29) This invention relates to packaging and more particularly to a method and apparatus for inflating bags one at a time and maintaining the bag in an inflated condition as it is loaded.

In my co-pending application for patent, Serial No. 64,157, filed October 2I, 1960, now abandoned, under the title Container Strip, Method of Packaging Articles, and Container Delivery Device, there is a disclosure of a chain of open bags with the openings oriented in the same direction. The referenced application also discloses the concept of inflating the bags in the chain one at a time to facilitate a loading operation.

Bags of the type disclosed in the referenced application can be used in conjunction with material dispensing apparatus of any of the well known types, such as bulk or weight measuring apparatus. With these known apparatus, selected and predetermined quantities of the material to be packaged are measured and once measured discharged through a suitable discharge opening. The present invention is directed to an apparatus and process for (1) positioning the end one of a chain of bags beneath such a discharge opening, (2) opening a positioned bag; and, (3) guiding discharged material into the open bag.

With the present invention, a funnel is provided that has a tube inlet connected to the discharge opening of a measuring device. An elongated slot is provided in a Wall of the funnel through which a chain of bags may be fed. A blower is connected to the funnel to discharge a stream of air downwardly through the funnel and thereby open the end one of a chain of bags when the end bag is positioned for loading. A manifold arrangement is provided around the funnel and between the air inlet and the outlet of the funnel. The inlet to the blower is connected to the manifold so that as a bag is inflated it covers openings to the manifold shutting off the supply of air to the blower. This maintains the bag in an inflated condition while stopping the flow of air from the blower.

One of the outstanding advantages of this invention resides in providing this structure in which, once the bag is inflated, the flow of air is automatically stopped. With the flow of air stopped, material such as powders can be loaded iwithout difliculty and disruption caused by a continuous flow of air. Thus, simultaneously the advantages of air for opening the bag and a still atmosphere for loading are obtained with a single method and apparatus.

Another of the advantages of this invention resides in its great simplicity. With the blower and funnel of this invention, one can .adapt substantially any of the known measuring and dispensing devices for package loading to either semi-automatic or automatic loading one at a time of the bags of a chain of bags of the type described in the referenced application.

Accordingly, the object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved apparatus for loading bags and a process of loading bags.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a foreshortened, side-elevational view of a material measuring and discharging device, with the funnel of this invention and its manifold shown in section as seen from the planes indicated by the lines 11 of FIGURE 2 with the blower shown in elevation connected 3,298,156- Patented Jan. 17, 1967 ice to the funnel and with a chain of bags being fed through the funnel; and,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the funnel of this invention as seen from the plane indicated by the lines 2-2 of FIGURE 1.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, the discharge end of a material measuring and dispensing apparatus is shown gene-rally at 10. The measuring and dispensing apparatus 10 has a downwardly extending lip 11 which defines a discharge opening. A funnel shown generally at 12 is secured to the lip 11. The funnel 12 has a cylindrical filling tube 13 which extends from an inlet end 14 connected to the lip 11 to an outlet end at 15.

In order to provide a suitable elongated slot 17 for the feeding of the chain of bags into the filling tube 13, a flat back plate 18 is provided. The plate 18 is positioned such that'it is tangential to a cylindrical material passage 19 defined by the filling tube 13. The plate is secured at its top 21 and bottom 22 to the cylindrical portions of the filling tube 13. Side guides 23, 24 are connected to the cylindrical portions of the filling tube 13 and to the ends of the plate 18. The side guides 23, 24 are seamed to the plate 18 along the lines 25, 26. Portions of the side guides 23, 24 and. theplate 18 adjacent these seams 25, 26 are rounded. A cover 29, one of which is shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 1, is secured to the filler tube 13, the side guides 23, 24, and the back plate 18.

Thus, a long slot 17 tangential to the contour of the passage 19 is provided. The slot is equal to or slightly wider than a width of a strip of bags 28 to be filled. As indicated above, the back plate and the side guides 23, 24 are curved adjacent the seams 25, 26, and these curves contour the bags inwardly as they are fed into the space 19.

In FIGURE 1 the disclosed portions of the chain of bags 28 consists of a filled bag 30, an open bag 31 positioned for filling, a connecting bag: 32 which is partially within the tube and flattened along the walls thereof, and a 'bag 33 which is part of the chain connecting the bags 30, 31, 32, to a supply of bags, not shown.

An air supply tube 35 is provided. The supply tube 35 is positioned to emit a jet of air obliquely downwardly into the filling tube 13. The supply tube 35 emits air through an outlet 36 which is below the slot 17 and on the side of the filling tube opposite the slot.

A manifold 37 is provided below the air outlet 36 and between the air outlet 36 and the funnel tube outlet .15. A plurality of exhaust ports 38 connect the space 19 with a manifold space 39 defined by the manifold 37. The filler tube 13, the back plate 18, the side guides 23, 24, and the covers define a material discharge path with walls which are irnperforate other than the slot 17, the inlet aperture 36, and the ports 38.

A blower 40 is provided and has its outlet connected to the air supply tube 35. The blower 40 has its inlet connected to the manifold 37 by a conduit 41.

When the device is in use, a chain of bags is fed downwardly until air emitted through the air outlet 36 inflates one of the bags, the bag 31 in FIGURE 1. The air from the outlet also flatten the connecting bag 32 against the filling tube 13, maintaining the bag 32 in a closed condition.

Once the bag 31 is opened by the flow of air, it cover the exhaust ports 38. The covering of the exhaust ports 38 by the bags caus s a vacuum to be created in the rn-ani- .fold space 39 so that the ambient air will force the bag tightly against the walls of the tube 19 and maintain the bag in its opened condition. When the bag 31 tightly contacts the inner wall of the funnel tube 13, the ports 38 are closed shutting off the supply of air to the blower 3 40 so that the discharge of air through the air outlet 36 ceases.

After the bag 31 is opened, the material to be packaged is discharged by the discharge mechanism it) through its discharge opening 11. The filling tube 13 guides the material into the bag 31. Once the bag 31 is filled, it is pulled downwardly, either manually or by a suitable mechanism, until in an appropriate position for separation from the chain of bags and until the bag 32 is indexed into the filling position; i.e., the position of the bag 31 in FIG- URE 1.

An indexing and severing projection 45 is suitably connected to the filling tube 13. This projection 45 is used for the dual purpose of locating a bag to be filled in its appropriate filling position and also to facilitate the separation of a filled bag from the chain of bags. When an operator wishes to index the bags to an appropriate filling position, he simply pulls the chain of bags downwardly until the perforations between the filled bag 30 and the bag to be filled 31 are aligned with the projection 45. He then presses the projection through the perforations to commence the tearing OE and positively locate the bag 31 in its appropriate filling position.

Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a process vfo filling one bag of a chain of bags each of which has an opening, the steps comprising:

(a) moving a flattened bag of the chain to a loading station;

(b) stopping movement of the bag and chain of bags when the said bag is positioned at the loading station;

(c) directing a flow of air toward the opening of the bag at the loading station to inflate the bag;

((1) stopping the flow of air in response to the opening of the bag while maintaining the bag in an open condition; and

(e) discharging a product into the bag while the bag is open and the flow of air is stopped.

2. In a process of filling one bag of a chain of bags each of which has an opening, the steps comprising:

(a) moving a flattened bag of the chain to a loading station;

(b) stopping movement of the bag and chain of bags when the said bag is positioned at the loading station and a next subsequent bag of the chain is positioned just in advance of the loading station;

(c) directing a fiow of air (i) toward the opening of the bag at the loading station to inflate the bag and (ii) toward the next subsequent bag to maintain the subsequent bag in closed condition and to one side of the opening of the inflated bag;

(d) stop ing the flow of air in response to the opening of the bag at the loading station while maintaining the bag in an open condition; and

(e) introducing a product into the opened bag while} the flow of air is stopped.

3. The process of claim 2 including the subsequent steps (f) removing the opened bag from the loading station while simultaneously bringing the next subsequent bag of the chain of bags to the loading station and (g) starting the flow of air in response to the removal of the opened bag.

4. A bag filling apparatus comprising:

(a) a tube extending from an inlet to an outlet and having a generally cylindrical contour;

(b) said tube including port-ions defining an elongated straight slot normal to and spaced from the axis of the tube, said slot being generally tangential to the cylindrical contour;

(c) the tube including an air inlet opposite slot;

(d) the tube also including a plurality of circumferentially spaced exhaust apertures disposed in a plane normal to the axis of the tube and nearer the =outlet than both the air inlet and the slot;

(e) a manifiold member around that tube and defining an annular manifold exhaust space communicating with each of the exhaust apertures;

( f) a blower having an inlet coupled to the manifold and an outlet coupled to the air inlet; and,

(g) means connected to the tube to index an end one of a chain of bags into a filling position in the tube.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the blower outlet is oblique with respect to the tube axis and canted toward the tube outlet.

6. A bag filling apparatus comprising:

(a) a tube extending from an inlet to an outlet and having walls of a generally circular cross sectional configuration;

(b) said walls including portions defining an elongated straight slot normal to and spaced from the axis of the tube, said slot being generally tangential to the contour generated by the circular configuration;

(c) the tube including an air inlet in the wall opposite the slot;

(d) the tube also including a plurality of exhaust apertures extending through said walls nearer the outlet than both the air inlet and the slot;

(e) manifold means connected to the exterior of the tube and defining manifiold exhaust space communicating with each of the exhaust apertures; and,

(f) a blower having an inlet coupled to the manifold means and an outlet coupled to the air inlet.

7. A bag filling apparatus in combination:

(a) a material measuring and dispensing mechanism having a discharge opening;

(b) a tube extending from an inlet to an outlet, said tube inlet being connected to the discharge open- (c) said tube including portions defining an elongated bag slot;

(d) the tube including an air inlet opposite the slot;

(e) the tube also including a plurality of exhaust apertures dispose-d nearer the outlet than both the air inlet and the slot;

(f) manifold means connected to the tube and defining manifold exhaust space communicating with each of the exhaust apertures;

(g) a blower having an inlet coupled to the manifold means and an outlet coupled to the air inlet; and, (h) means connected to the tube to index an end one of a chain of bags into a filling position in the tube when said chain of bags extends through the slot.

8. A bag filling apparatus comprising:

(a) a tube extending axially from an inlet to an outlet;

(b) an elongated slot in a wall of said tube, said .slot

extending transversely of the tube axis;

(c) air inlet means in the tube wall located opposite the slot;

(d) means to introduce air under pressure through said air inlet means;

(e) said tube wall being curved beneath the slot and air inlet;

(f) exhaust passageways spaced circumferentially about and extending through a curved portion of the tube Wall beneath the slot and air inlet; and

(g) means to exhaust air through said exhaust passageways.

9. A bag filling apparatus comprising:

(a) means to dispense material to be packaged through a discharge opening;

(b) a tube extending axially from an inlet to an outlet, said tube inlet being connected with the discharge opening;

(c) an elongated slot in a wall of said tube, said slot extending transversely of the tube axis;

(d) air inlet means in the tube wall located opposite the slot;

(e) means to introduce air under pressure through said air inlet means;

(f) said tube wall being curved beneath the slot and air inlet;

(g) exhaust passageways spaced circumferentially about and extending through a curved portion of the tube wall beneath the slot and air inlet;

(h) means to exhaust air through said exhaust passageways; and

(i) means connected to the tube to index an end one of a chain of bags into a filling position in the tube when said chain of bags extends through the slot.

10. A bag filling apparatus comprising:

(-a) a tube extending from an inlet and an outlet;

(b) an opening in the tube constructed and arranged to receive -a chain of unopened bags introduced from outside the tube and moved through the tube toward the outlet;

(c) means, including a wall portion of. said tube adjacent the opening, curved to form a concave surface inside the tube, to receive a portion of the chain of bags fed through the opening and to curve the portion of the chain to an inwardly concave configuration;

(d) said tube including guides flaring outwardly from the wall portion to at least part of the opening to guide a chain of bags into said tube,

(e) means to direct a flow of air in the tube concurrently against both (i) a lower closed end of one bag of the chain to maintain the bag closed and against the curved wall portion of the tube, and

d ii) an open end of a connected preceding bag of the chain to open and inflate the preceding s;

(13) whereby one bag of said chain is opened while a next subsequent bag is maintained closed and curved against the said curved wall portion to assure clear access to the opened bag from the inlet of the tube.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the opening in the tube to receive a chain of flattened bags is a slot in the tube between the inlet and outlet; and including vacuum means to hold an opened bag in contact with the tube wall.

12. A bag filling apparatus in combination:

(a) a material dispensing mechanism having a discharge opening;

(b) a tube extending from an inlet to an outlet, said tube inlet being adjacent and aligned with the discharge opening;

(c) said tube including portions defining an elongated bag slot;

(d) the tube including an air inlet opposite the slot;

(e) the tube also including a plurality of exhaust apertures disposed nearer the outlet than both the air inlet and the slot;

(f) means for exhausting air through the exhaust apertures from within the tube to without the tube; and (g) means for supplying air under pressure through the air inlet from outside the tube to the inside.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,789,281 l/l93r l Becker et al 53-385 2,387,812 10/ 1945 Sonneborn 53- 386 X 2,958,990 11/1960 Kerker 53l188 X LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

E. J. EARLS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A PROCESS TO FILLING ONE BAG OF A CHAIN OF BAGS EACH OF WHICH HAS AN OPENING, THE STEPS COMPRISING: (A) MOVING A FLATTENED BAG OF THE CHAIN TO A LOADING STATION; (B) STOPPING MOVEMENT OF THE BAG AND CHAIN OF BAGS WHEN THE SAID BAG IS POSITIONED AT THE LOADING STATION; (C) DIRECTING A FLOW OF AIR TOWARD THE OPENING OF THE BAG AT THE LOADING STATION TO INFLATE THE BAG; (D) STOPPING THE FLOW OF AIR IN RESPONSE TO THE OPENING OF THE BAG WHILE MAINTAINING THE BAG IN AN OPEN CONDITION; AND (E) DISCHARGING A PRODUCT INTO THE BAG WHILE THE BAG IS OPEN AND THE FLOW OF AIR IS STOPPED. 